9 Life Skills You Don’t Learn in School (and You Probably Should)

They say that you learn the most important life skills outside of the classroom.

School can be great for learning maths and English, but children need much more than that to become happy and successful adults.

These life skills are crucial for every individual, and it’s a great idea to teach them from an early age.

1. How to be independent.

Learning to do things for yourself is one of the most important life skills you can learn. Knowing you can stand on your own two feet is satisfying and reassuring. It’s important to let children learn, and make mistakes for themselves, so they know they can do it later on.

2. How to find your passion.

Exploring different opportunities is a great way to find your passion in life. Once you know what your passion is, you can set goals, make choices and do what you love! Don’t know what your passion is? Try lots of different activities until you find the one that makes your heart flutter.

3. How to be yourself.

At school, it feels important to fit in. But in the real world, your own unique combination of skills and attributes will get you far. Remember to emphasise and praise the individual strengths and quirks of the young people in your life, and stress the importance of using and maintaining those characteristics.

4. How to communicate.

Communication helps you understand, be understood and get what you want. From a young age, you should listen to your child, and encourage them to listen to you, to show them that by communicating well with you they’re more likely to get what they want in life!

5. How to solve problems.

Solving problems is all about breaking down difficulties into manageable chunks, prioritising and beginning to tackle them. Let your children try to solve problems on their own, and only offer help if they get stuck. You’ll see that they start to learn from their experiences pretty quickly.

6. How to ask questions.

Learning to ask questions helps us with learning and understanding, a very important life skill! Encouraging young people to ask questions develops their sense of curiosity and their knowledge, which encourages them to carry on learning all the way through their lives.

7. How to deal with change.

Dealing with change is a vital life skill to have in today’s world. Changes in government, economics and the world around us have an effect on us all, but if children are taught from a young age to plan and adapt for change they have a far higher chance of succeeding in life.

8. How to be happy.

Mental health isn’t discussed much in school, but it’s essential to a happy life. Teach your child to appreciate the simple things in life, talk things through, meditate, exercise, eat well and seek help if they need it. Being content isn’t about grades or money or material things but if you can master it, happiness is one of the best life skills to learn.

9. How to be successful.

School determines success by measuring and comparing your academic performance. Instead, measure success on your own terms and value your independence, passion, individuality, communication, problem-solving, curiosity and happiness. By setting your own goals, and making your own choices you can truly call yourself successful, and be proud of your fine set of life skills – learned outside of the classroom.